To think schools should not reopen in Sept?

[SusanFrimp]

I think that schools should not fully reopen in September and instead be partially reopened to some years. It is just not safe enough to reopen yet. I'd say December at the latest for full reopening. If they can't reopen other smaller places, how can they reopen schools with 1000's of kids? AIBU?

Oh and to add, although I work in a school with children with SEN, I absolutely cannot homeschool my son, that went out of the window after week 2

@FrippEnos

Thanks. I was just wondering if there is a cooperative win win working relationship between all the parties involved in education because of the Covid mess (in say you experience and locality)

I heard from my child's school head and a neighbour who is also a head teacher (both local state primaries) that unions and the various governmental departments were (shall we say) massively uncooperative and could not agree on many sticking points (mostly lack of financial resources etc) and so many schools did not provide any/much Covid remote schooling support in recent months. So basic questions can these disagreements be resolved in time for reopening? I am also assuming teachers are (mostly) very rightly concerned about their workplace Covid safety as would any other (critical key) worker.

Thanks!

With respect, if you are not happy sending your child back, then deregister and home school. All years were back by the end of term at our primary school (albeit part time) and it was brilliantly organised and fantastic for the kids.

Please everyone needs send their children back to school! The government can't keep paying everyone not to work! Think tax is bad now wait till your kids older what tax they will pay them for this!
Send then back

@ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia

In all honesty it depends on the ethos of the school. Some Headteachers, unions, LAs etc. all work together compromise or discuss changes and it all works well.

Some reps are, shall we say, difficult but then so are some heads.
And in those cases they are at each others backs.

But generally they all rub together and find ways to get along and make things work.

@ineedaholidaynow
About 28 per class for the 14 year old, 20 for the 16 year old as a lot switch out of grammar school to do apprenticeships.

All years were back by the end of term at our primary school (albeit part time) and it was brilliantly organised and fantastic for the kids.

Well, the clue's in the words, "albeit part-time." The striking difference about September is that the numbers will be magnified, meaning schools cannot be "Covid-secure" as Boris is pledging.

Please everyone needs send their children back to school! The government can't keep paying everyone not to work!
You are assuming that all children have parents on Furlough. Apparently, only 8% of the workforce have children of primary age. There are many parents who don't actually "need" to send their kids back for the reasons you suppose.

If that was a follow on comment addressed to all including me then with respect I am contemplating a complete change of scene, geography and lifestyle.

Many of us found the state tax payer funded primary schools to be somewhat disappointing and especially compared to the Covid approach, attitude and functionality (as I guess you would expect) when compared to local fee paying schools. My school is a classic state till eight with mostly professional families who will eventually pay for better senior schooling to make it into a top university etc.

Given this dilemma I feel no choice but to pay for decent safe schooling and preferably in a more Covid safe and savvy nation. I am waiting for a change of US political leadership and for the USA economy to rebound or otherwise it will be either Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Yes I know USA is a world Covid disaster but it will not last forever. Lots of good international multilingual schools to choose and pay for. We are so fortunate that the UK medical health insurance (NHS) is all inclusive and "free" so possibly an explanation for the lack of Covid safety mitigation measures adopted here and of course the European leading Covid fatalities to reflect that.

"It’s only on Mn people seem to have doubts about returning to school. Everyone I know, parents and children, can’t wait for term to start."

That's not true. In Wales, children from all years could go back from end June. Only 40% of parents sent them. Likely to be the same in September because there are no fines in Wales.

My previous comment was primarily addressed to Darcy.

And many thanks @FrippEnos

Not all schools even have a Union rep. Ours doesn't - for either of the main unions. Every now and again we receive letters asking one of us to be the named staff member but no one will take it on. And I felt vindicated on here recently for that decision when a poster angrily asked another "what is your Union rep doing about this?"
Not getting involved with that.

18Parker231

@CallmeAngelina- children want to go back to see their friends, teachers, have a routine back to every day. Parents want their children to receive an education, and enable the parents to return to work to hold onto their jobs."
My children have seen their friends already, not bothered about going back to school. Dont try and talk on behalf of all parents, The numerous threads on here show that their are mixed views. High school kids parents can go back to their jobs if they want to, they dont need to be around all day.

That's not true. In Wales, children from all years could go back from end June. Only 40% of parents sent them.

40% didn't send them?

"But, in the first week, 37.1% of pupils invited to attend did not go, rising slightly to 38.7% in the second week and again to 41.5% in the third."

31Parker231

"Yes of course - I’m married to a GP who volunteered to work on Covid wards but we can’t put life on hold any longer."

Why, are you bored with it now?

@SusanFrimp

If kids can't spread it then why were schools closed for months?

For political reasons.

There is no way the schools should have been closed for so long in the first place.

It's an absolute disgrace that our children's education and wellbeing has been thrown under the bus for so long.

Children are not high risk (not if they don't have any of the health conditions in the vulnerable category) and there is no evidence to suggest that they are super spreaders either.

I voted YABU btw, I think YABVU because I think schools should have reopened in June.

@AnotherEmma

@AnotherEmma, I would like you to watch that link above, and tell us your thoughts on that data.
And then I'd be interested in you coming back under the same username in October, and tell us whether you still feel that schools should have opened back in June, and if you're happy with the results of opening in the way that is intended at this point.

Well that's quite a list of orders
I've been argued with and insulted quite a bit on mumsnet but I don't think I've ever been ordered around like that before, turns out there's a first for everything even after years on mumsnet

(Er no, not going to watch it, can't be arsed, did lots of reading/watching at the start of lockdown and it damaged my mental health, but thanks anyway! I'm off for a cold shower.)

Our A level kids were not taught for 4 months - the teachers refused to engage in distance learning in anything more than the very minimum, they need to get back to school and they need to teach - this independent learning for months on end nonsense needs to stop, many teachers are just not capable of independent teaching it seems - but the kids are expected to be accomplished at independent learning - the irony!

Not an order, just a suggestion that if you're going to spout stuff on the internet, then you should be willing to own it.

many teachers are just not capable of independent teaching it seems

What exactly do you mean by "independent teaching?"

And did you miss the memo about the global pandemic, which has meant that all sorts of organisations have had a massive learning curve (with little or no direction from above) to totally re-create the way they operate. This has been easier for some set-ups than others; in education it's been very challenging, not least because government funding cuts for state schools over the last couple of decades has meant that we have archaic IT systems that are not cut out for the task. Heck, the vast majority of us don't even have work laptops and are making do with sharing whatever we have at home.

Well that's quite a list of orders. I've been argued with and insulted quite a bit on mumsnet but I don't think I've ever been ordered around like that before, turns out there's a first for everything even after years on mumsnet

It was suggestion. Can't you read?

YABU, we really need to get children back in school, I’m not saying I’m satisfied that the government have put enough in place to ensure that schools will remain open... but we really, really need to open in September whether you like it or not, I’m afraid

many teachers are just not capable of independent teaching it seems

Every child who was being taught by a teacher who funded their own laptop to do so was getting a sweet deal.